Conventional feed designs for single channel monopulse autotracking antennas typically involve a compromise between tracking angular resolution and optimum antenna gain and/or sidelobe radiation patterns. This compromise can result in severe performance limitations for applications involving so-called high dynamic targets such as low attitude ground launched missiles.
Some conventional single channel monopulse antenna feed designs utilize a four element phased array. Such designs typically provide good tracking sensitivity, but have compromised data performance (e.g., with respect to noise). Some conventional single channel monopulse attenna feed designs utilize a five element phased array. These designs typically compromise tracking sensitivity at the expense of better data performance. Some conventional antenna feed designs utilize a four horn array. These designs can provide good tracking sensitivity, but typically have non-uniform primary radiation patterns that result in less than desirable aperture efficiencies and higher than desired secondary sidelobe levels. In contrast, some conventional feed designs that utilize a five element array have improved radiation patterns relative to four horn arrays, but can suffer from relatively poor error channel tracking gradients due to higher element offset distances with a result being poor performance when autotracking high dynamic targets.
Embodiments of the invention are directed toward solving these and other problems individually and collectively.